I keep getting TikTok ads and whenever I see the shop logo in the corner or “sponsored” I scroll away. They claim to help AuDHD but I have no idea what to trust.
I’m curious about mushrooms, lions mane or whatever, and microdosing hallucinogens.
In my experience, no. There are studies that have shown Fish Oil and Magnesium to slightly improve some memory functions over time, but caffeine or actual prescribed meds from a doctor have been quicker and had better results.
At least for the ADHD, I haven't found anything for the autism front.
For autism no supplement will beat a rigorous routine of getting good sleep and making sure you’re eating healthy consistent meals and drinking lots of water and are at a comfortable temperature. A small amount of caffeine might help but I have to be so fuckin refined in my routine to keep my shit together that it’s annoying.
is is the case with most health issues, certain deficiencies can cause certain issues. But, outside of having a specific deficiency, its all placebo.
Will taking vitamin D and B12, magnesium, etc. cure your AuDHD? No.
Could taking them make you feel better in some ways, freeing up some spoons/mental space to better handle whatever issues in your life that requires energy and focus to deal with? Yes, its possible. Assuming you are deficient, which, minor to moderate deficiencies in those three aren't uncommon.
Yeah, those ones are definitely helpful. The non-vitamin or mineral I'd suggest is L-theanine, which is just great for anxiety
L-dopa is worth considering too, especially if you aren't medicated for ADHD
might try that instead of l-tyrosine when this bottle runs out. It feels like it does something but hard to say if just placebo, so moving one rung up the precursor ladder might be better?
No
Though I have heard that lions mane mushroom is tasty to cook and eat. So it has that going for it
Omega 3 fatty acids (usually fish oil but they make a vegan version) helps ADHD if you take it daily. It's not a drop-in replacement for stimulants, though.
Caffeine pills are the best OTC drug, just make sure it doesn't ruin your sleep by taking it in the morning.
Ashwagandha has been mildly helpful for me
Kratom is helpful on occasion but I'd categorize that closer to a drug than a supplement
St. John's Wort can be helpful but it exacerbated my sleep issues and gave me photosensitivity and more prone to sunburn
Melatonin as a supplement instead of a sleep aid can help with anxiety but it can make you a little lethargic in my experience
Lions mane is pretty much harmless, you can get powder and add it to coffee in the morning. Honestly all of those things for me are barely more noticable than placebo for me.
Anecdotally I do much better when drinking one of those muscle builder protein shakes in the morning. I wonder if it’s the vitamins or the fact it contains precursors to important brain chemicals? But it could just be I tend to drink those when I’m on a health kick.
Could be something along the lines of a blood sugar thing too.
Your average breakfast options tend to be pretty carb heavy. If you're loading up on protein in the morning you're going to have more sustained energy, you're going to be full for longer, and you're less likely to be on a blood glucose rollercoaster all day long. If we presume that you're battling under the conditions of limited executive function, not having to push through the sugar crash or strategically deploying willpower to avoid snacking on sugary food when your blood sugar dips would have to make your day less mentally taxing.
Maintaining a decent protein intake daily is a good idea for the amino acids as precursors, as you have mentioned, and if anyone is dealing with debilitating executive dysfunction or really impaired appetite due to meds then it's extra important that you focus on maintaining your protein intake for that reason, so a protein shake daily is a really good idea imo.
Edit: just wrote out a comment on my take on supplements and realised that I overlooked creatine in this reply. Does your shake contain creatine? If so then that would also be something to consider as the reason for why you find it beneficial, especially if you're veg or you experience depression.
I think there are supplements which can be helpful for auDHDers/ADHDers but I would anticipate fairly marginal improvements except where there's a major deficiency or where the marginal improvements are enough to nudge you from the surviving threshold and into the "managing life" zone.
Iron is a good one, especially if you menstruate or you have a restricted diet/are veg. Low grade anaemia can fly under the radar and exacerbate executive dysfunction and energy levels etc. It generally takes a while to really kick in so try to keep on it at a regular/semi regular basis if you want to see if it provides you any benefit. Take it with vitamin C for absorption.
Magnesium is the next one on the list. Our diets are generally pretty low in magnesium these days. The anecdotal reports are that magnesium improves focus, mental clarity, reduces anxiety, and improves sleep. I've never really looked into the different forms of magnesium properly and I'm more than a bit skeptical about how some forms are touted as being better for this or that symptom, although I'm sure that some forms are more bioavailable than others. If you take iron supplements they tend to cause constipation but you can balance that out with magnesium oxide, which has a laxative effect.
Zinc can help with blood sugar, like magnesium, and it can help with neurological function if you're deficient in it.
B vitamins, especially B12, are important for mood and if you have a restricted diet or you're veg and you don't consume small mountains of nooch then it's a good thing to consider supplementing.
This is a bit of a hot take but I am of the armchair expert opinion that what is considered acceptable for vitamin D levels is too low. Vitamin D is a hormone and it's essential. Unless you eat a lot of organ meat, I'd recommend supplementing Vitamin D even if you get a lot of sun exposure. If you are sedentary or you don't get much sun then I'd recommend it even more.
If you're veg then creatine supplementation can have a marked impact on brain function and I'd recommend this especially for that demographic.
Can't speak to lion's mane but you can get it cheap at asian grocers if you know what you're looking for.
I'm more than a bit dubious about the supplement industry and it's so fucking unregulated that it drives me to distraction. Be very cautious about anyone selling you proprietary blends or some sort of special, rare form of vitamin that only they provide.
I have a minor zonc deficiency, taking zinc definetly helps. I take flax oil and b12 for my vegan diet.
Supplaments are super helpful if you have measureable issues like gaps in your diet or natural deficiencies.
The general just be healthy take this to feel more gooder is a bit dicier. Caffeine helps my audhd. Ive tried microdosing mushrooms and liked it a lot. Made me super horny though. Probably doesnt happen to everyone.
Small amounts of thc help a ton with my sensory issues, big reccomendation from me. Was a life saver working in food service.
The best thing for audhd is to exercise consistently imo.
